Police say elderly abuse case is one of worst they've seen

RIVERTON — Unified police say it's one of the worst cases of physical abuse and neglect of a vulnerable adult that they've ever seen.

On Tuesday, an arrest warrant was issued for Richard D. Hardy, 51, for aggravated abuse of a vulnerable adult, a second-degree felony. Wednesday, he was arrested and booked into the Salt Lake County Jail.

Police say on May 8, Unified firefighters went to Hardy's house, 13745 S. 2550 West, based on an anonymous call. After they arrived and went inside, they immediately called police.

Myra Hardy, 55, Richard Hardy's wife, is bedridden and suffers from multiple sclerosis. When she was discovered by authorities, she was suffering from sepsis, or severe infection, had open sores, and had feces on her, according to charging documents.

There were open sores that were oozing on both of Hardy's knees, a bedsore about 5 inches in diameter was found on her back, the skin on her back was molted and another oozing sore was found near her feeding tube, according to court documents.

After being taken to a local hospital, nurses reported to police that the bandage had not been changed for some time and they detected the smell of decaying flesh, the charges state. Hardy's catheter was also clogged.

Unified Police Lt. Justin Hoyal said investigators were told at one point that a mouse had gnawed a hole in her feeding tube. The bedding she was found lying in had not been changed for days and was stained with body fluids and feces, according to charging documents.